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The Future of U.S. Train Travel

Three experts with very different visions debate viability of high-speed rail, and what impact self-driving cars will have on rail traffic

By

Heidi Mitchell

June 20, 2017 10:02 p.m. ET

Is long-distance train travel in America near its end or just getting started?

Support in Washington for passenger-train service, already tepid, looks ready to lose more steam under the Trump administration. Amtrak funding gets slashed in the White House’s 2018 budget, which also calls for the elimination of most long-distance rail service.